Statistics 5302, Spring 2011

APPLIED REGRESSION ANALYSIS

Course Instructor:  R. D. Cook, 397 Ford Hall, Minneapolis (5-7732). Email: dennis@stat.umn.edu. Office Hours:  2:15-3:00 MW and by appointment.

Lab Instructor: Jie Ren. Email: jren@stat.umn.edu.  Office Hours: TBA

Lectures: 1:25-2:15 MWF, 110 Ford Hall.

Labs:  (1) 2:30-3:20, (2) 3:35-4:25 on Thursdays Vincent Hall 301.  During the regular lab sessions, you will go over assignments, receive instruction to supplement the lectures and have an opportunity for questions.

Text: Cook R D and Weisberg S (1999). Applied Regression Including Computing and Graphics. New York: Wiley. The web site for the text is at http://www.stat.umn.edu/arc. There you will find background information that may be helpful during the semester, and the computer program Arc that was written to accompany the text. This text is required.

Computing:  The computer program Arc is an integral part of this course. Information on the use of Arc is included in the text. You will receive further instruction on Arc during both labs and lectures. All data sets discussed in the text and almost all data sets to be used in the course come with Arc. Instructions on how to gain access to Arc in computer labs, and on how to load it onto your own computer will be discussed in your first lab session on Thursday, January 20. You must be familiar with Arc as soon as possible. You will also need a hand calculator that can find roots, logs and exponentials. Bring your calculator to the exams.

Homework: Homework is a required part of the course. There will be 10-12 assignments during the semester. Portions of all assignments will be graded and most will require computer work. No late homework will be accepted unless prior permission has been obtained from the instructor or the teaching assistant. Usually, assignments will be given in class on Wednesdays and will be due in lab on the Thursday of the following week. You are required to hand in only the problems to be graded, but you should do all of the problems assigned to keep up with the material and prepare for the exams. You are permitted to discuss homework problems with others in the class, but the work turned in must be your own. Conscientious completion of all homework assignments is essential to getting a good grade in this course (see grading below).

Exams:  There will be two in-class exams plus the final. The tentative dates for the in-class exams are February 25 and April 8. The exact date will be announced at least one week prior to the exam. The final is scheduled for 1:30 – 3:30 am, Wednesday, May 13. You could be required to do computer analyses to prepare for exams, and the final may have a take-home portion.

Grading:  Homework 40%; 1st Exam 15%; 2nd Exam 20%; Final Exam 25%.  As a rough guide based on past classes you can expect that about 90% will be required for an "A", between 76% and 90% will be required for a "B", between 65% and 76% for a "C", although the exact percentages will vary depending on the difficulty of the homework and exams. A grade of "S" requires a clear demonstration of knowledge of the subject matter and a passing grade on the final exam. For example, satisfactory performance on 8 assignments, one in-class exam and the final exam would be sufficient.  Makeup exams will be given only for documented reasons outside your control, e.g. illness supported by a letter from your doctor. Social and vacation conflicts are not acceptable reasons.

Incompletes:  A grade of "I" will be given only in extraordinary circumstances, and then only by written agreement between the instructor and the student. An incomplete will not be given on the grounds of an unexpectedly heavy course load.   Students wishing to make up a prior incomplete must obtain permission from the instructor in advance.

Handouts:  Copies of handouts will be available on the course Web page at www.stat.umn.edu/~dennis/5302S11. (Note that the S is uppercase)

Coverage:  The table of contents for the text is the course outline. We will cover Chapters 1-15, 21, 22 and, time permitting, a little nonlinear regression. While the emphasis given during lecture will be a good indication of relative importance, you will be responsible for all the material in assigned readings.

Chapter 1 is largely review and you are expected to be familiar with the statistical material contained therein. This chapter is intended to provide some review, introduce some of the notation used in the course, and provide instruction on the use of Arc in a familiar statistical context. Chapters 2 and 3 introduce a few fundamental ideas of regression. Chapters 1- 3 will be covered rapidly. The pace of the course in chapters covered per lecture will begin to slow when we reach Chapter 4, but the material covered per lecture will be relatively constant. Some of the chapters will be covered in Lab.

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DISABILITY ACCESS STATEMENT

This material is available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact the secretarial staff of the School of Statistics, 313 Ford Hall, 625-7030.

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